Growing the Game: Outdoor Match Fights Cancer, Leafs Indigenous Night and More

Growing the Game is Ian Kennedy’s weekly feature examining the global game, how social issues impact the sport and how hockey’s important cultural shift continues to evolve.

This past weekend, the Shawnigan Lake School from British Columbia and Coeur d’Alene Hockey Academy from Idaho teamed up in the first-ever Canadian Sport School Hockey League U-17 Prep Winter Classic in support of Hockey Fights Cancer.

Initiated by Shawnigan Lake grade 10 hockey player Carson Usher, whose father is fighting glioblastoma, the game was played in Sun Peaks, B.C., at Sun Peaks Resort’s open-air NHL-size rink. The game raised more than $15,000 in support of Hockey Fights Cancer, the Canadian Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society.

Shawnigan Lake defeated Coeur d’Alene 4-2 in the game.

A new event, the Carnegie Cup, is set to drop the puck this month from Jan. 20 to 22 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto to promote elite Blind Hockey across the globe. The event will feature the top players from international Blind Hockey teams from Canada, the USA and Europe in a two-team showcase, free to fans and streamed live.

According to a Canadian Blind Hockey news release, the event, which is a partnership between Canadian Blind Hockey and the Carnegie Initiative, “is a pilot project to create a new competitive league for the Para sport of Blind Hockey called the Blind Hockey League (BHL), which will be the premier competitive opportunity for Blind Hockey players.”

The event will also include the first-ever Disability Hockey Skills competition featuring Blind Hockey, Deaf Hockey, Para Hockey, Special Hockey and Standing Amputee Hockey players.

Also, that weekend in Toronto is the 2023 Carnegie Initiative Summit, “which is a gathering of thought leaders, industry titans and grassroots champions from across the hockey world. This high-profile weekend-long event will drive meaningful, scalable, inclusive impact and generate millions of media impressions.”

The Toronto Maple Leafs held their first-ever Indigenous Celebration game, playing to a 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings this week. Before the game, Toronto players wore special jerseys designed by Indigenous artist Tyler Rushnell. They were later auctioned with proceeds benefitting the Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre.

Toronto Maple Leafs players were introduced as the Toronto Council Fire Native All Nations Juniors drum group performed.

Toronto Maple Leafs legend George Armstrong is among the best-known Indigenous hockey players in NHL history. Armstrong played nearly 1,200 games in a Toronto jersey, serving as captain longer than any other Leaf. In 1975, Armstrong was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame before having his No. 10 retired by the Maple Leafs in 2016. Armstrong passed away in 2021 at age 90.

The PHF continues to build its fan base and expand its footprint across North America. The Montreal Force and the Connecticut Whale are getting set to play a neutral site game on Jan. 14 in collaboration with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins.

“Showcasing these elite players in Pittsburgh is yet another opportunity for us to inspire our local girl’s hockey players and grow the sport of ice hockey, not just locally, but across the country,” said Kevin Acklin, Pittsburgh Penguins president of business operations, in a PHF press release.

Pittsburgh is considered by many to be one of the next logical expansion sites for professional women’s hockey, whether it be the PHF or a franchise in the PWHPA’s future league. Women’s hockey has been played in Pittsburgh since the early 1900s when reports of the Pittsburgh Polar Maids competing against the Ottawa Alerts were noted in newspapers. Then, in the 1970s, the Pittsburgh Pennies formed, helping to rebuild women’s hockey in the area.

Correction: Shawnigan Lake School hosted the Canadian Sport School Hockey League U-17 Prep Winter Classic, not Shawinigan Lake.